PENGASSAN warns Mobil to reinstate 150 sacked workers

PORT HARCOURT— Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has warned Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, MPNU, an affiliate of ExxonMobil, to immediately reinstate the over 150 of its members sacked by the company.

This was contained in a statement, yesterday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, co-signed by Festus Osifo, Chairman and Aruoture Ugavah, Secretary, of PENGASSAN Producers Forum.

The statement noted that the action of the oil firm was pre-empting, because MPNU sacked the workers who are members of PENGASSAN when discussions between the union and the company were ongoing.

The union, said: “It has come to our notice that the management of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, MPNU, an affiliate of ExxonMobil, has served disengagement letters to more than 150 of our members in their employment.

“This heinous disengagement was done even as discussion was still ongoing in that regard between the association (PENGASSAN) and ExxonMobil management. We view the action of MPNU management as premeditated and aimed at destroying the existing peace in the industry.

“MPNU management’s action is also a deliberate expression of disrespect and disregard to the association, labour laws and Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA, duly signed by both the association and ExxonMobil Management.”

PENGASSAN called on all stakeholders, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Department of Petroleum Resource and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to prevail on MPNU to return to the negotiating table.

The union warned that if the company fails, the entire producers’ members would have no option but to join in solidarity action with their members in MPNU.